1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cable bending device and more particularly to a device for forming a shallow bend or loop in a cable television cable to enable the cable to expand or contract in length due to change in temperature. The device includes an apparatus providing longitudinally spaced, curved shoes or pads engaging the cable television cable on one side thereof and an intermediate curved shoe or pad engaging the cable television cable on the opposite side thereof between the two end shoes with the intermediate shoe being movable between the end shoes to effectively deform the cable television cable in order to form a bend or loop therein with the device being easily attached to and removed from a supporting lasher cable to which the cable television cable is supportingly connected.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The wire or cable for cable television and similar cables such as those used in communications and the like are strung from vertically disposed poles and supported from a supporting cable usually referred to as a lasher cable that is actually attached to the poles. The wire or cable used for cable television and other similar uses is relatively solid and will expand and contract during temperature changes, such as occurs from daytime hours to nighttime hours. In order to accommodate such expansion and contraction, cable television wires or cables are usually provided with a shallow bend or loop in the cable at each pole to allow for such contraction and expansion. Heretofore, the formation of the bend or loop has been manually accomplished by using a wooden form having an arcuate surface with the installer required to exert considerable effort and expend considerable time in forming the loop by deforming the cable around the curved surface of the wooden form. Prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,835 discloses a device for forming a bend or loop in a cable utilizing a pair of longitudinally spaced members which engage a cable on one side thereof and an intermediate member engaging the cable on the opposite side thereof with relative lateral movement between the members being effective to form a bend or loop in the cable. In addition, the following U.S. patents relate to this subject matter.
______________________________________ 2,740,435 Apr. 3, 1956 3,691,815 Sept. 19, 1977 3,855,838 Dec. 24, 1974 3,875,786 Apr. 8, 1975 ______________________________________
Devices previously provided for this purposes are relatively cumbersome and awkward to use and require the use of considerable time and effort on the part of the installer.